Employees at Cabot Gypsum should soon see better working conditions.
On Thursday, it was confirmed that workers at Cabot Gypsum, in Point Tupper, will be unionized with Unifor, after 82 per cent of employees voted in favour of the action.
51 employees voted; of them, 41 voted yes, nine voted no, and one ballot was spoiled.
“That [number] goes to show that these workers were committed, these workers were united and they came together and they’re lobbying for change and for better working conditions,” says Patrick Murray, Atlantic Organizer for Unifor, the union.
People at Cabot Gypsum just want a more respectful, healthy and safe work environment, Murray says.
“It was never about dollars and cents with this group of workers; it was about respect and dignity in the workplace and treatment levels.”
While Murray can’t recall exactly when workers approached Unifor to explore the idea of unionizing, he says it was a few years ago. But it wasn’t until the onset of the pandemic that Murray says he saw serious push to get a union off the ground.
Employees of Cabot Gypsum mentioned several health and safety concerns, including improper fixes of equipment and exit doors which weren’t functioning properly.
The employees brought concerns to management, Murray says, but workers tell him, they went unaddressed.
“Their concerns and problems were being swept under the rug and it went on for far to long,” he says.
Though the desire to unionize wasn’t born of desire for higher pay, Murray says, it’s a fact that unionized workplaces often have better pay, better benefits and pension plans.
“The employer is making good money on the backs of the workers. So, were going to go to the bargaining table and do our utmost to get the best collective agreement for this group.”
